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From 2007 through 2012, the firm has served as senior manager in connection with tax-exempt and taxable municipal financings exceeding $6.5 billion. The firm's banking staff offers expertise in all major areas of tax-exempt and taxable municipal finance. READ MORE ›

Our book, Strategic Financial Analysis for Higher Education, produced in partnership with KPMG and Attain and now in its seventh edition, has been a valuable reference tool for financial managers, trustees, and other interested parties associated with not-for-profit institutions. READ MORE ›

Prager & Co., LLC was established in 1987 and has grown into a 35-person national firm that provides investment banking, underwriting, financial advisory, and strategic consulting services to municipalities, government agencies, higher education institutions, not-for-profit organizations, foundations, and social service agencies.READ MORE ›

As a consequence of the financial backing of our limited investment members coupled with our net capital position, the firm is able to senior-manage or co-manage bond issues of virtually any size. READ MORE ›

Weekly Market Update

US CONSUMER PRICE INDEX INCREASE BEATS EXPECTATIONS

Thursday, February 15, 2018

The Consumer Price Index (CPI), a key indicator of inflation trends, increased 0.5% in January, well above market expectations. Core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, rose by 0.3%. Market participants, however, suggested that the overall picture hasn't changed much. The year-over-year increase in the CPI was unchanged at 2.1%. The 12-month rate of core inflation was also flat at 1.8%, slightly below the Fed's 2% annual target. U.S. stocks gained on Wednesday, shrugging off an initial sharp dip following the release of the CPI report. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note jumped to 2.91% , its highest level since January 2014, while the yield on the 30-year bond rose to 3.17%. The Federal Reserve, under the new leadership of Jerome Powell, is on track to raise interest rates three times in 2018. If inflation continues to pick up, some investors think the Fed may add a fourth rate hike.

In Other News

Students at some of the nation's top universities are urging their schools to reconsider admissions policies that favor relatives of alumni. Campus groups for minority and low-income students at 13 universities issued a joint letter Wednesday asking their schools to review the impact of so-called legacy admissions policies.

Lawrence S. Bacow , a longtime academic leader with expertise in environmental policy and higher education, will be the next president of Harvard University. At a news conference Sunday afternoon, Bacow recognized the challenges facing higher education today, saying "some of the criticism is fair."